With the 2026 World Cup having been a huge success in the United States, Canada and Mexico, attention is already turning to where soccer’s biggest tournament heads next.
The picture is clearer than it has ever been. FIFA confirmed the hosts of both the 2030 and 2034 editions at the same Extraordinary Congress in December 2024, locking in the next two tournaments in one go and reshaping the World Cup map across three continents in the process.
Here is the full breakdown of where the World Cup is going, from the centenary celebration in 2030 to Saudi Arabia in 2034 and the questions that lie beyond.
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Where is the 2030 World Cup?
The 2030 World Cup will be staged across six countries on three continents, the most geographically ambitious tournament in the competition’s history.
Spain, Portugal and Morocco are the main hosts and will stage the vast majority of matches, including the final. It is the first time a single World Cup has been spread across two continents, Europe and Africa, in the same edition.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930, three centenary celebration matches will open the tournament in South America. One game each will be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, with the very first match returning to Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, where it all began. After those three fixtures, the tournament shifts to Europe and North Africa for the remainder.
The tournament is due to start on June 8, 2030 and conclude on July 21.
MORE: What we know about FIFA president’s plan for a 64-team World Cup in 2030
2030 World Cup host cities
FIFA’s working venue list covers around 20 stadiums across the three main host nations, although the final decision has not yet been made.
In Spain, the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid and a redeveloped Camp Nou in Barcelona are the headline venues, joined by grounds in Seville, Bilbao, Gijon, Las Palmas, Murcia, San Sebastian and Zaragoza, plus potential rebuilt venues in Valencia and Vigo.
Portugal’s contribution centres on Lisbon and Porto, while Morocco’s bid is anchored by stadiums in Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech, Tangier, Fes and Agadir.
The standout project is Casablanca’s Grand Stade Hassan II, a 115,000-capacity venue under construction in the Benslimane province that is set to become the largest soccer stadium in the world and a contender to host the final.
The three centenary matches in South America will be held at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Estadio Osvaldo Dominguez Dibb in Asuncion, Paraguay; and Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Morocco’s national project and opposition
For Morocco, 2030 is being framed as far more than a football tournament. The kingdom bid unsuccessfully five times before FIFA finally awarded it a share of the World Cup in December 2024, and the tournament is now regarded as one of King Mohammed VI’s signature prestige projects, the centrepiece of a wider modernization drive built around the country’s hugely popular national team.
Billions are being poured into stadiums, airports, rail lines and roads, with analysts describing the World Cup as an exercise in Moroccan “soft power,” designed to boost the country’s international image, attract investment and strengthen its standing in Africa. Lacking the oil and gas wealth of some other hosts, Morocco is leaning on its cultural and political influence to present itself as an open, modern and capable nation. Some observers have even drawn a parallel with Spain’s 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, a moment that reset the country’s place on the world stage.
The spending is not without controversy. In late 2025, members of Morocco’s Gen Z staged protests arguing that money lavished on stadiums and showpiece projects, including the planned 115,000-seat Grand Stade Hassan II, should be going instead toward education and healthcare. There are also environmental questions, with Morocco facing serious water shortages that raise doubts about long-term sustainability. The real legacy of 2030, analysts say, will be measured not in stadiums but in whether ordinary Moroccans feel the benefit.
Where is the 2034 World Cup?
The 2034 World Cup will be hosted by Saudi Arabia, the second time the tournament has been held in the Middle East after Qatar in 2022.
Saudi Arabia was the only bidder for the 2034 edition after Australia withdrew from the race, and its bid recorded the highest evaluation score in World Cup history. As with Qatar, summer heat means the tournament is widely expected to be moved to the cooler winter months, though FIFA has yet to confirm the dates. The bid centres on cities including Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar and the futuristic planned city of Neom.
The decision has drawn significant criticism from human rights organisations over the treatment of migrant workers and other concerns, issues that are likely to follow the build-up to the tournament.
Where will the World Cup be after 2034?
Nothing beyond 2034 has been awarded, and FIFA has not opened a formal bidding process for any of the next editions.
What follows is the current state of play, shaped largely by FIFA’s confederation rotation rules, which prevent a continent from hosting again until others have had their turn.
2038 World Cup bids
With North America (2026), Europe and Africa (2030) and Asia (2034) all hosting in quick succession, the 2038 edition is expected to be open only to bidders from CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean) or Oceania.
No formal bids have been lodged, but interest has started to surface. The most eye-catching idea reported so far is a trans-Pacific proposal involving New Zealand potentially partnering with Pacific island nations such as Fiji, and even discussion of a tie-up with the United States. Australia, despite its proximity, is ruled out of an Oceania bid because it competes in the Asian Football Confederation, which hosts in 2034. For now, this all remains exploratory.
2042 World Cup bids
By 2042, the rotation is likely to swing back toward Europe, which would become eligible to host again. Germany has been the most vocal, with the German Football Federation openly discussing a possible bid for either 2038 or 2042. A potential United Kingdom and Ireland joint bid has also been floated, while China remains a long-stated suitor whenever the rotation allows. None of this has progressed beyond early interest.
Future World Cup locations
Below is a full list of where the World Cup will go next, with some hosts yet to be determined.
| Year | Host(s) | Confederation(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | United States, Canada, Mexico | CONCACAF |
| 2030 | Spain, Portugal, Morocco (plus opening matches in Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay) | UEFA, CAF, CONMEBOL |
| 2034 | Saudi Arabia | AFC |
| 2038 | To be confirmed (CONCACAF or Oceania expected) | TBC |
| 2042 | To be confirmed (UEFA, CONMEBOL expected to be eligible) | TBC |
| 2046 | To be confirmed (no candidates yet) | TBC |
What are FIFA’s World Cup host rotation rules?
Under FIFA rules, a country cannot bid to host the World Cup if it is part of a confederation that has hosted either of the two most recent tournaments.
For example, no CONCACAF nation could stage the World Cup until at least 2038 because the 2026 tournament took place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
This is also why only AFC and OFC nations could have launched a bid for 2034. Staging the 2030 tournament across three confederations meant there were few remaining options. Once Australia withdrew, it left the AFC bid through Saudi Arabia unchallenged.
It has been suggested that the process effectively set up Saudi Arabia as the only viable option given the restrictions on others becoming hosts.
